1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cupping instrument for a cupping treatment of skin or body portions, comprising a vacuum cup and an aspirator, which is detachably connected to said vacuum cup, wherein the vacuum cup comprises an outlet hole and adjacent to said outlet hole is provided with a suction valve, and the aspirator comprises an aspirating cylinder and an aspirating piston, which is slidably mounted within the aspirating cylinder, the aspirating cylinder is formed in its forward end wall with an aspirating opening, which is coaxial to said outlet hole, and the aspirating piston comprises a piston head and on that side of said piston head which faces away from said aspirating opening comprises a piston skirt, which is extended to form a handle that protrudes from said aspirating cylinder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For cupping, a portion of the skin is subjected to a vacuum. Cupping treatments are often performed to stimulate blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, connective tissue, and muscles in order to exert a favorable influence on the circulation of the blood and lymph. The vacuum which is locally exerted results in a short-time expansion of the capillaries, which constitute the smallest blood vessels, so that the flow of blood into the hypodermis is increased and the entire cellular and intermediate metabolism is promoted.
Such a cupping treatment has previously been performed often by means of cupping heads, which consist of vacuum cups of glass and which before they are applied to the skin are evacuated in that cotton wool is combusted within the cup. The manipulation of such vacuum cups is difficult and they can hardly be used to exert a controlled vacuum on the skin and are liable to give rise to burns whenever they are used.
In other known cupping instruments disclosed in AT-B 98,007 and FR-A 895 006 the vacuum cups have an outlet hole which is adapted to be opened and closed by a valve and to which an aspirator consisting of a piston-cylinder unit can be connected. But that aspirator is held against the cup only in order to evacuate the latter so that a complicated manipulation is required and the effect of the treatment can hardly be controlled. Besides, the permanently installed suction valves and the aspirating cylinders, which are provided with separate sealing rings or sealing sleeves for connection to the vacuum cup, are rather expensive and can be kept clean only with difficulty.